Politics: White House Intruder Pleads Guilty

Last year, on September 19th, Omar Gonzalez climbed over the White House fence at approximately 7:19 pm and managed to enter the residence through the North doors with Secret Service agents chasing after him. Reportedly, he assaulted one officer before being tackled by another. Secret Service agents discovered that he had a folding knife in his pocket as well as “hundreds of rounds of ammunition, in boxes and in a magazine, two hatchets, and a machete” in his car.

This past week, Gonzalez entered into a plea deal with the prosecution, and he has pled guilty to one count of unlawful entry and one count of assaulting officers. Although he will not be sentenced until June 8th, Gonzalez has been banned from entering Washington DC except for his hearing, and he will likely be going through a psychiatric evaluation to assess the risk of his reoffending. While the maximum sentence for is crimes is 18 years, prosecutors have recommended that Gonzalez only serve 12-18 months, with fines and the psychiatric evaluation. This news comes at a time when the Secret Service has been under close scrutiny for some mistakes and recent questionable actions, but U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. hopes that “this prosecution deters others in the future from taking any actions that threaten the first family, the White House, and the public servants who work there.”